Other Names (World)
Azara's Spinetail, Buff-browed Spinetail (superciliosa with samaipatae), Elegant Spinetail (elegantior with media, ochracea and fruticicola)
Azara's Spinetail (Synallaxis azarae) [XC466607]
by Leonardo Ord\u00f3\u00f1ez-Delgado from Mirador - Zumba, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador (song)
Azara's Spinetail (Synallaxis azarae) [XC618513]
by Mauricio Diaz from Hoya de Loja - Quebrada Quilloyacu, Ecuador (song)
Subspecies
Synallaxis azarae (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was provisionally split into Synallaxis azarae, Synallaxis courseni, Synallaxis elegantior and Synallaxis superciliosa by Stotz et al. (1996). Synallaxis courseni has been recognised as a distinct species following SACC (2005), but elegantior and superciliosa are lumped with Azara's Spinetail (Synallaxis azarae) following SACC (2005).
Considered by some authors to form a superspecies with Sooty-fronted Spinetail (Synallaxis frontalis) and Apurimac Spinetail (Synallaxis courseni) on basis of plumage and vocal similarities. Central Peruvian populations may be closer genetically to latter than they are to geographically distant populations of present species, constitution of which would thereby be rendered paraphyletic. Subspecies superciliosa and samaipatae formerly treated as representing a separate species, but voice and evidence of introgression suggest that they are better considered conspecific. Subspecies elegantior and ochracea possibly indistinguishable from each other but separated geographically by media and all three, together with fruticicola, sometimes treated as forming a separate species, originally on basis mainly of vocal differences (not confirmed subsequently) and difference in number of rectrices.
Proposed subspecies carabayae, described from southern Peru (Puno) and northern Bolivia (La Paz), purportedly darker than nominate, but individual specimens of the two forms found to be indistinguishable.
The following 9 subspecies are recognised:
elegantior Sclater, PL, 1862 - Eastern Andes of Colombia and western Venezuela (Trujillo and south-eastern Lara south to Táchira). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Elegant Spinetail (Synallaxis elegantior).
media Chapman, 1914 - Western and central Andes of Colombia south to Ecuador (south to Cotopaxi in western and to Zamora-Chinchipe in east), possibly also in northern Peru (extreme north-eastern Cajamarca).
ochracea Zimmer, JT, 1936 - Andes of south-western Ecuador (southern from Guayas and southern Chimborazo) and north-western Peru (Tumbes south to Lambayeque).
fruticicola Taczanowski, 1880 - Marañón Valley in northern Peru (Cajamarca south to La Libertad).
infumata Zimmer, JT, 1925 - Andes of northern and central Peru (Amazonas south to Junín).
urubambae Zimmer, JT, 1935 - Southern Peru (Cuzco).
azarae d'Orbigny, 1835 - Southern Peru (Puno) south to central Bolivia (La Paz south to north-western Santa Cruz).
samaipatae Bond & Meyer de Schauensee, 1941 - Southern Bolivian Andes (central Santa Cruz south to Tarija).
superciliosa Cabanis, 1883 - Andes of north-western Argentina (Jujuy south to Catamarca). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Buff-browed Spinetail (Synallaxis superciliosa).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet